60 A HANtJAL OF THE CONIFEEiE. 



Pines are among the most picturesque dbjects in park and 

 landscape scenery. 



The geographical distribution of the Abietine^; is almost co- 

 extensive with that of the whole Coniferous Order in the northern 

 hemisphere. The Pines are met with everywhere in both the 

 eastern and western continents between the Equator and the 

 Arctic Circle, except in Central Africa, India, the Tropical Islands of 

 the North Pacific Ocean, and the treeless regions already mentioned.* 

 South of the Equator, the Pine has never been found in a wild 

 state, but it is becoming naturalised at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 and in some parts of Australia and South America. Of the 

 genus Abies, the Spruce Firs are spread over the northern portions 

 of both continents, reaching a high latitude, but rarely extending 

 further south than the fortieth parallel. Abies Smithiana,, the 

 Himalayan Spruce, is an exception, but this tree is always found 

 at from 7,000 to 11,000 feet of elevation. The Silver Firs chiefly 

 occupy a zone of variable width south of the Spruces, rarely 

 reaching high latitudes, A. Sibirica being the only exception, nor 

 extending further south than latitude 30° N. in the eastern 

 continent; but in Mexico A. religiosa is found at a high elevation 

 as far south as the fifteenth parallel. The Tsuga or Hemlock Firs 

 have their largest area of distribution in America, where they are 

 spread over the whole continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 

 between latitudes 35° and 55° north. In the eastern continent, 

 they are, so far as at present known, restricted to two localities of 

 limited extent in Asia, viz. — Japan and Nepaul. The Cedars are 

 confined to three distinct and almost equidistant regions in the 

 great series of mountain chains that stretch across the eastern 

 continent between latitudes 30° and 35° N, from Morocco to 

 the confines of China. The Larch is a northern tree whose area 

 of distribution coincides pretty nearly with that of the Spruce 

 Firs. The Araucarias and Dammaras are the representatives of 

 the Firs and Pines in the southern hemisphere, the former in 

 South America, Australia, and some of the adjacent islands ; the 

 latter in Australia, New Zealand, the East Indian Archipelago, 

 and some of the South Sea Islands. 

 The ABiETiNEiE are " social " trees ; they form forests covering 



* See page 37. 



